The morning after the opening of author Anthony Horowitz's new play, theater critic Harriet Throsby is murdered---and someone has set Horowitz up as the killer. He didn't kill the unlikeable writer, but when his fingerprints are found on the murder weapon, he asks ex-detective Daniel Hawthorne to help him find the real criminal.

This is my least favorite of the Hawthorne and Horowitz books. It took me a long time (more than half of the book) to really get into the storyline. I liked the theater setting but the cast members weren't especially compelling. The story picked up pace about 3/4 of the way through, and I enjoyed the ending, although the reveal didn't quite make up for the lackluster start. In previous books I found Hawthorne and his odd relationship with Horowitz more entertaining; this time around the bromance was just meh and Hawthorne a little too smug for my liking. Recommended for fans of the series.